The differences between these two lists are striking. The AFI simply seeks to rank the best movies that have ever been made by American film studios. No foreign films are included in their survey. The Arts and Faith is presented by Image, a journal that focuses on literature and art. The banner of the Image website provides a glimpse into their modus operandi: art, faith, mystery. As with all lists, the rankings are subjective and open to criticism. What I find interesting about this particular list is the interpretation of faith in the arts. To quote Steven D. Greydanus, "the Top 100 is an expression of this community’s ongoing discussions about how mystery and meaning can be discerned in works of art." He goes on to observe that some films on the list are explicitly religious, e.g. The Gospel According to Matthew, while others are valued for provoking thought on the nature of the human condition, e.g. The Searchers. In addition, the list is open to any movie, domestic or "foreign," independent or studio.
For each movie that I watch, the forum that is this blog will be employed as a place to provide a brief review. I intend to specifically ask how each particular film is judged on the triad of "art, faith, mystery." Also, I will update this particular page with links to each of my reviews, and the link to this page will be posted on the main page of the blog itself. With all of that having now been said, let's get to the movies.
1: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
2: Andrei Rublev (1966)
7: The Gospel According to St Matthew (1964)
8: Le Fils (The Son) (2002)
13: The Seventh Seal (1957)
18: The Searchers (1956)
29: Wild Strawberries (1957)
37: Chariots of Fire (1981)
77: Ostrov (The Island) (2006)
2 comments:
Should be a cool study; I'll look forward to your reviews.
Thanks for following my reviews. Since we are both moviephiles and men of faith, this should be both fun and edifying.
Post a Comment